Mortals Above, Gods Below
by Popper100
Summary: Deus Ex Machina, the god from the machine. Apt, considering the purveyors of life and death ride mighty Armored Cores. The next generation of Huntsmen wield weapons their forebears would only dream of, but is it enough to stop the inevitable destruction waiting for humanity? And what if humanity wishes that destruction on itself?
1. Chapter 1

Mortals Above, Gods Below: Prologue

 _We are a light shining out in the darkness. Or the darkness snuffing out the light?_

It all started with war, as is most proper in the world we inhabit. From the ashes of war came a new understanding, a new ideal to strive for. No longer about the simple act of survival or trying to dominate the people for their own safety. Instead, those in power lifted the harness of oppression and let those under them enjoy the comforts of civilization. A tradition of color, cornerstone of human expression, was put in place as the people replaced ancient names with simpler, more virtuous ones. They basked in peace and tranquility, gazed at the titans that protected them from within the Huntsman Academies.

Forty years after the treaty of Vytal was signed a new discovery was made. Dust had long been part of the tapestry of human invention, but it remained a minimal power. Far in the north, in what once was Mantle and was now Atlas, a particle was discovered and harnessed. The Oum Particle, a simple combination of infused mineral with high levels of energy, it revolutionized the world. When introduced to Dust the Oum Particle magnified its effect one hundred fold, a single crystal able to ignite an inferno or whip up a hurricane. It terrified the old men in charge, and they hid it.

Thirty two years after the discovery, the eave of a tournament at Beacon Academy. It was a joyous time, even though the Atlesian military had taken it upon themselves to provide the security. The tournament proceeded, but at the last in a string of unfortunate events a student was murdered. The culprit, a Valean student. In the chaos of the moment the systems were seized, panic bringing Grimm in droves as the perpetrator incited further madness. Death, mayhem, the utter breakdown of the peace that had held so tightly for so long.

* * *

"And from the heights came our twin saviors, the first model Core units designated B-00 and B-01. Or as most people call them, Brave and Bold." The voice over the monitor droned out the final phrase before pausing to let the lesson sink in. "Who can tell me what became of our Kingdoms?"

A buzzer rang off in his office, a familiar voice piping up over the shared speakers. "They were dissolved into the five Corporations for Resource Management," she answered, the smooth voice of Velvet Scarlatina of team CFVY ringing out clearly.

 _This is boring, I want to get to the good stuff._ She slammed a hand on her buzzer, shocking the two other girls in her room. The sound echoed on the screen before the intercom switched on. "Instructor Oobleck, can we get back to the Beacon Incident. Like, why did Atlas have Brave and Bold in the first place?"

The face on the monitor straightened upward, taking a long draw from his coffee cup. "Very well Miss Rose, we'll continue with the Incident."

* * *

The twin Cores were dropped from an airship far above the ground, landing with a grace unbefitting such large machines. They dwarfed the then state-of-the-art Paladin drones that had been seized, but moved with a grace and majesty unlike other machines. The rampaging androids and drones were toys in comparison, Huntsmen standing back in awe at the precise work of these two goliaths. Immense weapons spat fire and death, shredding the lesser Grimm as easily as tissue. In the same breath the entire mechanized army Atlas had brought was quashed, reduced to a smoldering heap.

As quick as the battle had started, it was finished with a flurry of cheers and celebration. The aftermath was anything but joy, the headmaster of Beacon revealing the purpose of the attack. A woman, gifted with power beyond power had such stolen. Secrets poured forth in droves afterward, a secret order among the Kingdoms, the Oum Particle that had proven to be the people's salvation. Mistrust was rife, the twin gods from on high seen for what they really were. Weapons of war, built in secret.

Still, there was good to come from these revelations. Even as the pressure mounted on the leaders of the Kingdoms, they resolved to solve the world's pressing problems. Grimm had infested the land below long ago, and it was a mad dream to escape them. A test was planned, and a rousing success in the form of the high altitude airship. The mad dream was hatched to leave the surface, and escape to the clouds above. But where a single warship carrying a crew and a pair of Cores was easy enough, the idea of housing humanity was not.

The disbursement of the Oum Particle technology proved to be the solution. Within a year scientists in Vacuo, long renowned for their conservation and efficiency technology, produced a new variation. By inducing a ventilation of the OP infused Dust, a molding effect allowed for infinitely higher efficiency. And so the dream of mankind among the clouds was revived. But not before the dissolution of their Kingdoms, and the establishment of the mines. The worthy went onward to the skies, while those left behind were forced into the gritty job of digging up the precious crystals.

As part of the plan to defend these vital lifelines, the Cores were also given freely to the other Kingdoms. The Huntsmen immediately wished to use this new found weapon to exterminate the Grimm, a plan that proved fruitless. The creatures seemed never ending, and the people soon clamored for safety rather than war. Like towering gods, the Cores were left to protect the few places left on Remnant that held people. And a fifth Corporation was formed in response to the growing distrust of the individual Academies. Nexus, a meeting point for the four Corporations of the Kingdom and control of the Huntsmen who were now bound to a single entity.

* * *

A dull klaxon sounded within Instructor Oobleck's office, the official end to the lesson. The screen flickered off as he finished his sentence on the definition of the new Core models. _Armored Core NEXT. That was what I was going to be piloting now? For the rest of my life even?_ Ruby got up from her small desk, grabbing the tablet she used for note taking. Crescent Rose weighed on her belt like an awkward rock, still dragging her down as she walked. _Why did dad make this for me? At least uncle Qrow taught me how to use it._

Yang and Weiss followed her, the two people assigned to team RWBY with her. The last person was being... difficult it seemed, a mining Faunus who happened to be a candidate and owned a NEXT. It didn't matter, the teams were just for collective contracting now. Another relic of the past, like the weapon she had. Ruby waved goodbye, turning to walk down the corridor toward the docking bay. The inside of a Cradle always felt so cramped, but it was home now. A relatively peaceful place, free of Grimm and the inevitable conflict with them.

She traveled down through the aircraft's maze of ancillary corridors, bursting out into a park that lay between the admin and docking areas. Ruby loved to look up at the faint blue sky, relishing the fact that she was just barely within the atmosphere. _We're so close, yet so far._ She passed through the park, entering a wide hallway. People glanced over at her, ogling the tight suit she wore no doubt. _It's for syncing up with the Core, not anything else._ At least she wasn't as endowed as Yang, her sister had it rough.

Ruby walked throughout the airship, watching the myriad people come and go in their own way. Happy faces always faced her, even when she could only reflect back the grim countenance she had earned. They wouldn't know strife because of her, a generation growing up now in the clouds. Ruby had finally reached the docking bay, stepping into the glass observation deck. She walked down the long walkway, past a triple set of bays before finally reaching her own. Waning Petal, a juggernaut of red paint and high powered rifles.

"It's time to do it again, time to go down there with the rest of them," Ruby whispered to herself, looking out at the immense machine before her. They called them gods in jest, but something about ten meters of metal did speak of divinity. "I'm sure being able to soar through the air and vaporize a Grimm in one shot has nothing to do with it either."

She turned toward the control panel, pressing several buttons to begin the deployment process. A placard was hung at her end of the hall, Ruby read it last time she was sent out but it was good to remember history.

We are divine, wielders of the particle of god.

From the particle we intuited the Core, gave life to our arms.

But our enemies were deadly, our foes relentless.

So we Armored our creation, shielding it from the rigors of this world.

And our hated foes grew stronger still.

So we sought out our protectors, the old guard.

And beseeched them, become the NEXT shield for us.

Ruby knew it well, she was one of the few who were chosen to be the shield. The NEXT was special, it integrated to a user's Aura for nearly perfect control. Unfortunately it required a sizable amount of Aura for the link to be made, on top of learning to manipulate the link. Adult Huntsmen were too set in their ways, too finely honed to learn such a skill. Which meant it was left to children. Ruby hated to think of herself as a child, but it was true. It had only been ten years since the Beacon incident, since...

She shook her head, trying to forget the past in favor of the present. The airlock opened, and she stepped through. _A simple guard job. Enough pay to make it worth it, and another chance to learn about this thing._ Ruby Rose walked toward her machine, intent on living up to the divinity those below saw.

 **AN: Unlike previous works that I've done this is going to be updated on a purely sporadic and nonsensical schedule. If you like the premise I highly suggest you follow/fave/whatever the truck to keep tabs on this insane thing I call a plot.**


	2. Chapter 2

Mortals Above, Gods Below: Opening Waltz, First Step

 _When evil calls, the ones who answer are invariably good._

It was always quiet inside the cockpit, whether it was a Normal Core or a NEXT. Ruby never got used to the quiet during her time down on Remnant, on Patch with her father. She wasn't used to the quiet in a Normal, although it wasn't as long lived as the nearly pristine silence of a NEXT. There wasn't anything else to it though, she had a job to do. _A job, that's what saving everyone has become?_ It was a thought that Ruby tried to beat out of her head whenever it arose, but the truth never stopped being the truth. She stepped inside the metal cavity in the chest, listening to the door close behind her.

Crescent Rose fit awkwardly into the compartment set aside for it as Ruby stepped into her leg harnesses. Lowering the controls from storage above her head, she leaned back on the U-shaped apparatus to relax. _Start the batteries, run the checklist._ A quiet hum of Dust power ran throughout her small workspace. _Monitors, displays._ The space in front of Ruby illuminated, slowly focusing in to reveal the glass walkway she'd been standing in. Red boxes illuminated to either side of the center, a large list of components appearing on each turning green. _Radio._

"Good afternoon Miss Rose, I trust you are up to the correct point in your start-up?" Calm, collected words, the voice that her father and uncle said always held the answers when they were younger.

"Professor Ozpin, what are you... why are you, or why isn't?" she said, stumbling for the right words. Wasn't he way more important than being a pilot's operator?

Chuckling emanated from the speakers. "It's just Ozpin now Ruby, those days are behind us. And the men around here don't like to be reminded of them very much." Several sounds penetrated through, switches and grumbling mostly. "Everything is alright from here."

"Uh, yes, everything is green to go." Rote memory replaced some of her uneasiness, allowing Ruby to fall back into rhythm. "The rifles are loaded, as well as the sniper cannon. And my backup blade is good to go as well. Um... Prof... Ozpin, is everything alright?"

"It is. Why do you ask?" Several more switches began flipping through the speaker.

"Well, it's just... you're really important, and I'm just a new pilot, and-"

"And you think I shouldn't be your operator?" Ozpin let out a long hum before following up. "It's a good question. But I'm afraid the answer is rather simple. Nexus isn't fully set up to handle all of the new NEXT pilots yet. So I'm filling in."

Ruby still thought it was an odd thing having the old Beacon headmaster as her operator, but it was what it was. "Alright. Well, everything is green to go, can I start the generator?" The opening floor gave her her answer, but it was proper to ask anyways.

"Go ahead Ruby, the vents are running just fine." More grumbling broke through in the control tower, angry noises if she dared to guess. "Please remember though, only one minute."

Looking over her shoulder, Ruby reached out and pressed the large red button to bring her machine to life. Firing up immediately, the hum silenced while the status boxes disappeared. Only the most pertinent info populated the parabolic screen now. Ammo. Integrity. And her generator status. The temperature climbed steadily upwards, taking its time to reach the necessary heights. Looking out at the bay again, Ruby watched as lines of blue began distorting her field of view. All at once the lines merged into a translucent wall in front of her, wrapping around in sphere beyond her vision.

Turning her attention back to the display in front of her, she stood upright in the harness. "Everything is alright I think. Temperature is steady at twelve hundred Kelvin and the Vacuan field looks fine on my end." Ruby had plenty of time left to check everything. Moving her legs gave her a nice response, the tickling sensation of her Aura merging with machinery growing stronger. Moving the balls at the ends of her U-shaped apparatus gave a similar response to her arms. "It's still so weird to do this."

"I can imagine. Are you ready to go Miss Rose?" The last words were more clipped than the rest. Ruby didn't think it was worth fighting over as she told Ozpin she was ready. "Let's begin then. Waning Petal, Ruby Rose leaving Cradle zero zero five."

Her stomach jumped as the sensation of falling took over while she watched the bay fall upward at an alarming rate. Boosters kicked in, controlling her descent and returning Ruby's stomach to its rightful place. "That needs to be looked at again, there has to be a better way to get Cores out off there than forcing the pilot's stomach to doing flips." She watched the Cradle float gracefully by above her, a majestic bird flying with its companions.

"I suppose they would have Ruby if they tried, but things don't always end up the way we want them." Ozpin laughed a little before setting down a cup. "You'll be at the South Vale mine in ten minutes."

 _I hope he doesn't stay like this. Uncle Qrow was the same way, saying an operator is just there to relay information._ "Um, Proffess... Ozpin, can we talk about something? I don't really like the quiet in here."

"Of course Ruby, what would you like to talk about?"

Oh thank goodness, she could at least stay sane this time around. "Well, I don't know. Things? Anything to keep the quiet at bay." It reminded her of that time, when everything fell apart in her world.

The speakers stayed silent for a few moments before crackling back to life. "You know I'm old enough now to remember when things were quite different?" Ozpin mused, tapping next to the microphone. "I saw when everyone was fighting together, then against each other. I was blessed to help us come together again. Times changed then, for the better."

Ruby could hear his voice dropping off as he neared the end of his musing. "Then the Beacon Incident happened."

"Indeed, and the times changed again. Science led the way, to where we are now and beyond I presume. Miss Rose, what you sit upon is the culmination of that progress. I am no longer able to be a true Huntsman, but I can at least give you knowledge." Ozpin breathed in audibly, a long steady draw of air. "Everything around you is influenced by your actions. Don't think that one person can't change the world."

What was that supposed to mean? She was just a Huntress as her dad called her and a pilot in the official registrar. "My sister sometimes read stories like that to me. A great hero who defeated the monsters and saved the day by himself. Or the Huntress who saved a village before it was destroyed by Grimm. I always loved those stories."

"Those stories have to be made Ruby. Don't forget that."

* * *

Working a mine wasn't so bad, or so he told himself each and every day as he dragged himself up from bed. Ulm had been here in Vale for several months now, a welcome get away from the dreary life he'd led in his village. It was exciting to see the great compound for the first time. All of the trucks and mechs moving about only reinforced his notion that life would finally be smooth. It had been anything but smooth. Ulm having found out quickly that, as one of the last few places on Remnant with people, it was a popular spot for Grimm.

Walking toward his truck, the familiar lithe form of a Faunus caught his eye. "The stray is up early I see," he called out to her, testing his luck for a third day now. The first two ended quite poorly.

Surprisingly, the slender girl decided to turn around and regard him. "This stray wouldn't normally put up with you. But we have company, and not the black and toothy kind." She turned around again, striding off with a purpose.

 _Company? But then, how would they know about... of course they know, those floating prisons can see everything._ It wasn't as if Ulm hated the Cradle borne, but that didn't mean he didn't resent the fact they left people down on the surface. Down here to toil away for their own needs. At least the company hires a NEXT every once in a while, that was the only saving grace in this world. It wasn't long ago when Huntsmen roamed around keeping the peace. Ulm remembered those days, how they were better. Now though, now there was no use in wishing for the past. It was the present, and this mine might become a war zone any second.

* * *

Her descent was sharp, coming down below the cloud cover to the sight she'd come to expect. Ruby watched the sprawling expanse before her, a massive complex designed exclusively to dig up Dust and power the Cradles. Normals dotted the outside area, clustered around typical walls and weapons from before the Incident. _And I'm here to make sure it doesn't get pulverized._ Ruby didn't really think it was going to be a chaotic mission, the defenses looked just fine. Was a NEXT really necessary?

"Vale Heavy Industries has a lot of money wrapped up here Miss Rose, I'm sure it'll be a simple job today." Ozpin's reassuring voice felt nice as she fell the last hundred meters.

Waning Petal lurched as it hit the ground, Ruby tensing as the sensation reached her. "Waning Petal, beginning the operation." She began to lift the harness, and her balance compensated with the machine's moving leg. Stepping forward, she took a look around at the trucks driving away from her. A Normal stepped forward, brandishing a large rifle her direction.

"State your business here Huntsman or leave," a gruff voice barked through her speaker. "Makes no difference to me."

 _Is this what people were like? But dad said that everyone seemed to love him when he went out on missions._ "This is Waning Petal, I'm here under... contract from Vale Heavy Industries to-"

"There's a NEXT coming from the mine. Ruby, be careful! It's coming straight for you."

Ruby leaned back, willing the machine to move rather than step. Boosters ignited, thrusting the hulking behemoth backwards with grace and elegance. She swept around, ignoring the the rifles now pointed at her from a variety of Normals. _Why are they aiming at me? I'm here to protect them, not hurt them!_ It didn't matter, they couldn't do anything to her anyway. Slowing to a stop, Ruby scanned one last time for this rogue NEXT. And around a wall corner the black monster raced, veering straight for her.

Planting herself now she raised up her rifles, watching the reticle hone in on the speeding NEXT. Her target grew in size as it sped towards her, and Ruby could make out what the machine was like. _Same as mine, looks like a normal person. A handgun... and what looks like demolition equipment._ It wasn't set up like hers or her teams. But who else would be able to get a hold of something like that? It isn't like these things were just lying around to be picked up at a moments notice. It was a good three months before Nexus let her have Waning Petal just the way she wanted.

"You! In the red NEXT, what are you doing here?" a feminine voice shouted at her through the speaker. "Nothing has been sighted for days now, we didn't need another NEXT."

 _What? But why was she even here then?_ "This is Waning Petal, I was given a contract to stay here and protect this place. And why are you here?" Ruby didn't lower her weapons, keeping them trained on the ebon giant.

"She's our stray! You Cradle borne wouldn't know anything about that!"

"Yeah, we took her in! She's part of the family now."

"Please," the female voice declared, "let her speak. Miss Huntress, you're not needed here obviously. Would you please leave. Now." The NEXT raised its handgun, casually aiming the weapon at Ruby.

Something wasn't right, she should have identified herself if she was with one of the Corporations. "I'm not going anywhere. They gave me this job, and I'm seeing it through to the end." That wasn't all, but it was good enough for an excuse.

They stood there in tense silence, machines of war poised on the brink of conflict. Ruby never wanted to think about fighting other people, other humans. But the people who taught her made sure she was aware of the possibility. _My parents were heroes to everyone. But I'm here being threatened by them now._ Fear mounted within her, forcing itself more and more into prominence. A Normal stepped to her right, keeping an easy target on her machine. Another stepped to her left, and panic began fighting for her attention. Ruby's eyes found a truck speeding toward her. The door opened, and the driver rolled out.

She threw herself backward, feeling the acceleration of boosters forcing several tons of metal backward. Fire bloomed outward in front of her, dull thunks reverberating into her cockpit. _They're really firing at me,_ Ruby thought in her panic, feeling the cold controls impressing into her palms. Fear won as the reticle swept across the black NEXT. Fire erupted again, lower this time as vibration and ticking counters told her she was fighting back. Ruby lurched downward in the harness as she willed herself into the air.

Shells sung around her, piercing the usual silence with haunting wails. Normals were struggling to keep up with her movements as she darted through the air. But they didn't matter, only the person who'd ruined this job did. The deathly machine was sliding along the ground toward her, shrugging off rifle rounds that would shred the ground behind it. It wobbled along, having trouble keeping the large handgun trained on Ruby. Still, the occasional shell burst through and punched into the Vacuan field before impacting on metal. The indicator flashed momentarily, but never showed any severe damage.

"Please stop!" Ruby shouted, trying to calm down and think rationally. "I don't want to hurt anyone." She couldn't stand the thought of having to kill anyone because they were scared. Or because she was as well.

"She's not stopping, we won't let them trample over us. We'll fight those bastards who only want us to live and die for them!"

"Yeah! You tell em Toff, we'll make em see what we put up with!"

They weren't going to stop, and she was gonna have to start shooting at the others soon. Resolve took hold as Ruby focused in on the black beauty racing around under her. Shoulder launchers swiveled over, and before she could think several rockets burst from them. She flew upward over the NEXT and turned to keep track of them. They flew onward, unguided by the look of it. _It's just demolition equipment, what is she-_ Her opponent flew up and into her face, the glowing band around the head accusing Ruby of all her misdeeds.

Waning Petal shuddered violently, forcing her forward. She looked down at the enemy's arms, seeing the large construction blade retracting back for another attack. The indicator screamed at her, and the core section was blinking feverishly. Instinct took over as Ruby threw herself to the side, feeling the boosters throw the mech around with her. The black beast turned sluggishly, but its blade was ready nonetheless. She thrust at Ruby, and instinct took over once again.

Fire played across the Vacuan field in front of her as the high yields thrust her backward. She raised her rifles, training them on her attacker. It was still moving sluggishly, but that didn't matter any more. The metal felt cool. But hot lead was all that poured outward from her weapons, bursting through the NEXT's field and scoring the black machine up and down. Ruby watched as the sleek metal became scarred and abused, the machine faltering in the sky before falling downward. She ceased her attack, trying to get a hold of her frayed nerves.

The Normals stopped firing as their NEXT fell to the ground. Ruby followed it down, watching as the emergency recovery forced her upright and landed. The machine stayed motionless for a moment before shuddering upright, the shimmering lines forming around it. _Her field is down, she's practically dead. I just need to..._ Ruby's thoughts terrified her, but the thought of having someone like this around scared her more. She raised up her weapons once more, feeling the cold metal under her fingers. The cold kiss of death.

"That's enough Miss Rose, she's no longer a threat," Ozpin commanded over the speaker. Ruby felt the jolt of her senses coming back, retracting her hands from the controls at the thought of what she almost did. "You did very well Ruby, very, very well. I'll take it from here now."

Coughing erupted through the speaker, distinctly delicate in nature and definitely from the woman in the NEXT. "What are... what are you waiting for? I'm sure you wanted to do this from the very beginning, so why stop now?"

"Miss Belladonna, you did well with what little you had." Ozpin's words held a hint of joy, almost as if she'd done exactly what he'd wanted. "We'd be honored if you decided to come join us in Nexus, your place is already assured." In a more serious tone he added, "I'm sure you don't want to do this again Blake."

 _Wait, that was Blake? The last person for her team?_ "So you sent me here to-"

"Not now Miss Rose. Your answer Blake? I assure you, this is the best way I could have managed to do this."

There was silence for a while, the other pilots shushing one another when one spoke. Silence, a return to that dreadful thing that marked Ruby out as alone in the world once more. Why was she always subjected to it? The world seemed to close in, despite the protective cocoon of metal and weaponry. A crushing weight, with no one there to lift it from her shoulders. Ruby glanced back, looking at the compartment that held Crescent Rose. _Why did you name it that dad?_

"I'll do it," Blake whispered, a haunting sound in the gloom. "If that's the only option I have left, I'll sell myself to you people. But you can't make me like it."

"Thank you, Miss Belladonna. You've made things a lot easier with your choice." He paused, and Ruby thought she heard other voices breaking through. "Ruby will take you back, I'm afraid you'll have to follow her yourself. Miss Rose, you can come back now. Congratulations on a job well done."

Words escaped Ruby as she stared at the world outside. The black NEXT lowered its arms while the Normals stood motionless. "Prof... dang it, Ozpin, this isn't what I was told. Why did you lie to me? Why am I-"

"Please just come back Ruby, we'll take it from there."

She stood upright and incensed in her harness. What was the point of lying to her about Blake or the mission? Ruby didn't respond, preferring to do something instead. _I... I need to get back and figure this out. Maybe Yang could give me some advice? She's been doing this for a little while longer._ Thinking about it wasn't going to make it happen however, and Ruby began making the preparations to get back home. Looking over at Blake, she felt sorry for the woman since she probably didn't have any protocols. It was gonna be a long journey without them, having to manually follow her.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, typing in the final few numbers of her Cradle.

"No, you can't leave! What... what are we going to do?" It was one of the pilots of the Normals.

"We can't do anything now Toff, they've got her in a bind."

"But... she's our stray. You don't just abandon someone like this. We... we have to do something dammit!

"Like what? We'd just be killed by that girl. Face it, we couldn't do anything before. And we can't now."

Blake sat there in her monster, the scarred and sooty beast looking tired despite being an unfeeling weapon. "Yeah," she uttered at last, letting out a long sigh, "let's get this over with."

That was that then, and she punched the final key. All at once sensation became dulled as the process took over. Ruby felt Waning Petal lift off from the ground and rise into the sky slowly and methodically. _A stray. And she's following me home._ She turned her head, watching the screen shift to a view behind her. Blake's NEXT rumbled upward, wobbling into a spot behind her with all the grace of an Ursa. _But she didn't have any trouble laying her blade on me._ The thought frightened Ruby more than she cared to admit.

"Um, Ruby was it? It's nice to... be able to talk to you. Without being afraid of being shot at." Blake's voice startled Ruby a little since she'd settled in to the silence. Well, it was nice not having to endure it again. "You're really good. I wasn't sure what to do until that trick."

The compliment felt odd considering their recent circumstances. "Thank you? But you don't seem to really have a good connection with that NEXT." She realized her words might be a little rude a moment too late.

"It's... not like I get to be in it all that often," Blake responded, breathing heavily still. "This is actually only the second time I've gotten in to use it."

Ruby leaned back against the apparatus, taking her weight off her legs finally. "What do you mean? I thought that NEXT was yours, as crazy as that sounds."

"It is... now at least."

"What do you mean? Who's was it before?" This was starting to sound more and more like a bad dream than the end of a day to Ruby.

Blake stayed quiet for a long moment before finally continuing. "Ruby, I don't... I can't really tell you. But would you trust me if I said it's better in my hands than the person who had it before?"

She thought about it for a little bit, watching the ground fall away as they rose through the sky. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Those men back there trusted you, and I don't think you wanted to fight."

"They didn't, but everyone was scared. Even me." Blake let the quiet settle in for a little bit as the two rose further and further. "Ruby," she said suddenly, a new inflection in her voice, "what is it like? Up there?"

Ruby hadn't really thought about her new home all that much. "It's... different. Not bad at all, everyone is happy and we don't worry about the Grimm anymore."

"That sounds... nice," Blake breathed out, a hint of tension gone. "I hope that it's really that nice, and all the rumors are wrong." She let it drop again, and the clouds began enveloping them in their slow ascent. "Ruby. Will I see you again?"

"I think so. Why?"

"You seem different from the other people I've dealt with." Different how? Ruby never really thought she acted too differently from Yang or her dad. "I'd like it if I had one person I knew I could trust."

It was an odd thing to hope for, but she didn't really find it that strange considering how today had gone. Maybe it was because Ruby was hoping for the same thing? She had Yang, but was she hoping for someone who was like her? _Don't be selfish, hoping that someone else was like this._ The quiet invaded once more as they ascended toward the edge of the world.

* * *

She didn't know why she expected any different, coming up here was a mistake as surely as trusting everyone at the mine was. Blake Belladonna stood stiffly as the men, human men, pointed guns at her in the gangway. They had shouted at her to stand still or they'd shoot. _So I'm stuck again with a group of people who want to kill anyone that doesn't agree._ Still, she knew of one person who acted and talked like she was above it. _One versus the rest of humanity. What fantastic odds._

"Please, there isn't any need for this. She isn't going to do anything now." It was the same voice as earlier, the one that had forced her to choose. Blake watched as the armed men began lowering their weapons and parting.

Through the gaps she caught the man behind the voice. He was tall, a green suit adorning his already substantial frame. White hair topped a kind face that was now looking out toward her, a knowing half-smile the final touch. Blake began striding forward, feeling confident despite her misgivings about being on a Cradle. The man's eyes were sweeping up and down her, and she realized how odd she looked right now. What else would she look like though? She was a fighter, born out of the Kingdoms, and raised with the hardest people. Maybe it was Gambol Shroud that had his eye? No matter.

"I see you came to welcome me yourself. I'm flattered, really." Blake knew she was being arrogant, but if they operated anything like the others she wanted to establish herself immediately. "Shall we go do whatever it is you need me to do?"

The tall man stood up straight, regarding her with a skeptical eye. His half-smile broadened into a wily grin. "Miss Belladonna, I'm glad you are willing to continue with your... employment. But that will be for a later time. Right now, I just want to welcome you to the Cradle."

She didn't expect his manner at all, the humored look giving her an uneasy sense of safety. "Then may I go ahead and take my leave from here Mister...?"

"Ozpin, it's very good to meet you. Of course, go ahead and take in the sights." He turned around, leaving the dumbfounded men to watch as he left. Blake strolled swiftly toward them and out of the gangway.

"Blake! Are you alright?" Ruby's squeaky voice pierced outward from the far end of the walkway. Blake turned to watch the girl running towards her, trailing some red flecks. Or were they petals? "Why were those men standing around your bay? Did you do something?"

 _What does she mean why? She's the one who brought me here._ "I'm alright, they are just being cautious of someone foreign like me." It felt odd defending them, but Ruby genuinely seemed to think they weren't doing something normal. "Although it would have been nice to have a more welcoming reception."

The girl looked at her with large eyes. Silver eyes oddly enough. "Um, Blake. What are you wearing?" Ruby was eying her up and down, focusing slightly more on Gambol Shroud.

"What do you mean? What am I supposed to be wearing?" This was the second time now she felt oddly inspected by someone. It was starting to wear thin, even if she should be used to it as a Faunus.  
Ruby looked at her with wonder in her eyes. "That means you didn't have a suit on when we... you did all that by yourself?"

"What suit? You're not making any sense."

She stepped back a little bit before twirling around. "This suit, it's supposed to help you with controlling the NEXT. Didn't you know that?"

Blake watched as Ruby excitedly showed off the garment, twirling around and posing for her. Taking in the girl, she wasn't exactly what Blake had in mind for a pilot from the Cradles. Thin, shorter than her by a small amount, and filled with energy. Ruby really wasn't like the people she'd seen already. She took in the suit, a form fitting red and black thing that... well, accentuated a rather decent figure. Her own combat clothes were tight enough, and she felt it help a little in the cockpit. But it made sense now why she'd had trouble keeping the machine steady.

"Blake? Are you in there?" Ruby chattered, waving a hand at her. "I kinda lost you there for a moment."

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about before and what you said." It was easier to pilot these. Which means they'll have an easier time learning. Blake's stomach tightened at the thought of having to fight him in one of these... monsters.

"So what's it called?"

She looked back over at the girl. Ruby was gazing out the glass at her NEXT, eyes tracking along the limbs of the Core. They almost looked like they sparkled as she was staring. "It doesn't have a name. At least, I never knew what it was supposed to be called."

Ruby bounced on her heels, and the large red rectangle on her belt bounced with her. "Well, you're gonna have to give it one. That's how they do things. So... why don't we come up with one?"

It was a fair enough suggestion, Blake couldn't argue that it was better to do it now rather than later. _What do you name something like that though?_ She stepped up to the wiggling girl looking at her scarred weapon. It was black, the depth coming close to midnight's own inky grasp. But there was a lightness as well, fine lines of white only she'd really gotten to see up close. Reaching over her shoulder, Blake felt at the grip of Gambol Shroud, her own lifeline for so many years now. Now though, she would have to place her faith in something greater.

"What do you call that?" She turned to see Ruby eying her weapon.

"It's called Gambol Shroud, I made it a long time ago." Has it really been that long? "Growing up the way I did, you either fought or ran for your life. I needed something to fight with."

The girl hummed for a moment, reaching behind her to grab the rectangular object. Pressing a button, Blake jumped away as it unfurled into an enormous scythe. Ruby regarded the weapon, looking forlornly along its length. "Well, this is Crescent Rose. My dad made it for me, told me to keep tradition alive with it." She shook her head, like she wanted to forget something. "I remember wanting to do what he did, before these things were made."

It seemed like an innocent story, but the feel of it was all wrong to Blake. _Things have changed, but so much is still the same._ She looked back at the machine, the force that she was going to use. Maybe tradition was something to remember, a little at least. A name sprung up, Falling Twilight. It seemed strange, a twist of her life that she never saw coming. But then, after every leap there was a fall. And how far had Blake fallen if she couldn't trust her old family anymore. The black beauty stared back at her, the head almost looking sad and resigned to what its fate would be. Or was it her feeling that way now?

"Ruby!" The voice was sharp and full, Blake turned to see a buxom blond trotting straight at her. She watched her get close enough, then closer. _Is she going to-_ The fist that followed wasn't entirely unexpected. Falling to the ground, she looked up into burning eyes and a snarling maw. "Don't you ever lay a finger on my sister again! You hear me?"

The aforementioned sister was tugging on the woman's arm, trying to pull her away. "Yang, please! It's not like that, she's not gonna hurt me."

Yang pulled her arm away, standing in a threatening manner over Blake. "I saw what you were doing down there. You think you've got some kind of problem, something against people from up here?" She slammed a fist down next to Blake's face. "People like you don't have a clue."

"People like me? I'm a person just the same as you," she retorted, shifting away from the angry blond. "I have the same right as you, my choices are just as valid as yours. I didn't want to fight, and I didn't want to come here with your kind." The hypocrisy was lost to her as her cheek began throbbing.

"Please Yang, she's telling the truth. Stop."

Her angry opponent wasn't stopping though as she grabbed Blake by the shirt before hauling her to her feet. "People like me? I've done nothing but keep them safe, lived my life behind a sheet of metal." The fire was glowing at this point, a red hue overtaking her eyes. "Where do you get off criticizing that? You... and you tried to hurt my sister." Again she pulled back her fist, Blake bracing for the ensuing pain.

It didn't come, and she opened her eyes to see Ruby holding the woman's fist back. "Yang stop, she's not here to fight you. Please, trust me." She had a determined look on her face, trying to hold back the other woman's fist.

A long sigh finally escaped from Yang as she let go of Blake's shirt. "Alright, I'll stop. But don't think I've forgiven you for this. If things hadn't gone the way they did..." She let the rest remain unspoken as she turned to leave. Giving Ruby a quick glance, she hugged the smaller girl and left with an angry strut. The soldiers who had been standing there followed dumbly, leaving Blake alone with Ruby.

"I'm sorry about that," she said, looking down at the floor, "you can probably guess, but that was my sister Yang. She's not normally like that, but I guess she got scared." Ruby looked up again, looking over Blake's face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Her cheek was throbbing still, but she wasn't actually hurt. "She's... very intense. And she's your sister?" Ruby nodded her head, smiling weakly. "Well, I think it would be best if I stay away from her for the time being.

Her companion chuckled, looking away from her as she smiled. "I don't think that's gonna be possible. You see, she's... and you are... we're sorta part of a team."

Blake looked over at the suited girl, smiling innocently enough. _Well, hopefully I don't get punched again. That did hurt quite a bit._ Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though, she was going to be able to stay around Ruby. Maybe she'd also be able to get to know Yang, anyone who grew up with this excitable girl couldn't be that bad. Ruby took her hand, leading her down the passageway and into the Cradle. Behind her the Cores sat, unwavering sentinels that awaited the next call to war. A war that would be different from any other in history.


	3. Chapter 3

Mortals Above, Gods Below: Opening Waltz, Second Flourish

 _Pain is an illusion dreamt up by those who fear reality. There is only life. And death._

Making her way through the corridor, Ruby had a flutter in her stomach from the other day. Blake had settled into the Cradle quite smoothly, given a suite near hers for the sake of safety. She didn't feel like the Faunus girl would end up in any trouble at least. It was just something they'd decided. _Is Ozpin part of those people?_ Those people were the ones running the Cradle, Ruby's superiors, and members of the various companies. They were the ones who tried to lie to her. It was jarring to lose trust in something she'd grown up with, but it was more unnerving to keep playing along.

The hum was with her again, steady and sure from wind passing over the outer hull to the rumble of human life in a confined space. Relief permeated Ruby, the noise drowning out all of her memories from long ago. She walked slowly through the corridors, traversing the web with a sure step born of years spent inside. People still got lost from time to time, but there were enough wanderers to always get them back on track. _There are enough._ And that was the truth. Everywhere Ruby went, people seemed to be happy and flourishing. They worked on small projects, or trained for future jobs.

And no one was worried about Grimm or other Kingdoms or anything. They looked past the pilots that walked among them, seeing the people behind the suits. Sure, there was awe at times, but the constant dread of the past was gone. It was better now, her father said so, her sister said so. So why did she feel so uneasy? Ruby never thought about things like this, letting the winds blow her about as she went. Like now, as she strode the metal passageways in a billowy red cloak, she didn't really aim for the classroom. Just drifted toward it.

Still, it wasn't long before the familiar color change from civilian to administrative forced her drifting to an end. There weren't many people here now, and the few that were all had a grim look to them. _Are the lectures that bad today? I really don't want to sit through another boring history one._ Ruby meandered up toward her doorway when it hit her. _I was supposed to bring Blake with me. She doesn't know where this place is._ Spinning on her heels, Ruby stormed through the hallway with a trail of petals in her wake. Out toward the main plaza. _She'll take that way, it's the fastest._

Turning a corner, she felt the impression of a person as she barreled into, and over them. "I'm sorry!" Ruby shouted back as she stumbled to her feet. Maybe three steps later she looked back to make sure the person was ok. And found Blake staring back.

"Well that was rude," an unfamiliar voice muttered from behind the girl. Ruby saw a figure start to pick herself up, slowly and assuredly, before looking back at her. "A rushed sorry isn't a very good apology miss."

Ruby watched as a slender girl with pale white hair stepped out from behind Blake, frowning in her direction as she brushed at a flowing skirt. "I'm really sorry, I was looking for Blake since I... kind of forgot her." She walked back with her head hanging low. "Guess she didn't need me though."

"It's alright, just look where you're going before speeding down these corridors next time." The girl offered her hand, smiling slightly in a serene way. "Wouldn't want an aspiring pilot like you hurt, would we?"

"How did you know?" Ruby asked, taking the offered handshake.

"Blake said you were," the girl replied simply, "and we were headed to the same place. I offered to take her when she was wandering around the plaza."

 _Well, at least I was right._ "Thank you," Ruby mumbled, still embarrassed at herself, "I guess we can get going then." She turned toward the way she'd come and began slowly walking back. Thankfully Blake and the thin girl followed without a sound. _This day is already a bad one. And I haven't even sat through a lecture yet._ Stepping lightly back toward the room, they entered and found several seats, Blake taking up the one behind Ruby. Yang and Weiss had already arrived, the two flanking a spot for Ruby. She was grateful the thin girl decided to sit in a corner with another person she didn't recognize.

"Hey sis, what took you so long?" Yang asked, trying not to smile at her glum countenance. "You like to take it easy coming here, but you usually aren't late."

"I screwed up, and I don't really want to talk about it." She watched Yang settle back with her grin just barely hidden now. A slight cough came from behind her, and Ruby turned to find Blake smiling slightly. "Not you too."

"Sorry Ruby, but it was kind of funny," the girl replied, giving her a warm smile. "At least I know where I'm going for next time."

A slight crackle announced the beginning of the class, and the inevitable boring lecture that would follow. Ruby settled into her seat, glancing at the perfect posture that Weiss always displayed. She was a mystery to both Yang and her, the Schnee heiress, here on a consolidated Cradle rather than with her father's. _I guess we'll find out one day, maybe._ It was a bit disheartening, the girl never joined in on their conversations or tried to talk to them. It was always curt, cordial, and condescending business with Weiss.

"Alright, pilots, please focus up here and give me your undivided attention," a voice from the monitor said. There wasn't any picture, and the voice wasn't one of the professors or any of the men that Ruby had dealt with. "This is team... RWBY? Good, you're all here from what I can tell. Let's get to it, if miss Fanchon would step to the front."

The thin girl from earlier got up, and Ruby saw that she walked with a bit more of a limp than most people. _That's not right, she looks like she can barely stand for long._ Stepping to the front of the tiny room, she faced the assembled women with a plain look on her face. They sat there for a moment, taking in the frail looking girl in her entirety. The most striking feature that Ruby hadn't noticed before were her eyes. Unlike the pale hair that fell around her shoulders, those eyes bore a rich, almost intoxicating blue. She stared blankly at the back of the room, but the intensity worried Ruby. It was almost inhuman.

"Very good, would the leader of team RWBY please chime in?"

Ruby jumped a little as she found everyone looking at her expectantly. Pushing in the button, she heard a click on through the monitor. "Uh, this is Ruby Rose. "

"Miss Rose, good. I hear you had a successful time down in Vale?" the voice queried with a bright tone. It made her feel sick again at the deception and at being used like that.

"Yes, Blake is here and the mine is in good working order," Ruby intoned, trying to skip all of the formalities.

"Excellent. Well, as you can see, miss Fanchon here is waiting on an assignment." There was a pause as some ruffled paper sounded in the background. "Anyways, we're still not sure on her aptitude... but given your teams record, it's safe to say you are the best candidates. So, from this day forward, Wynne Fanchon is assigned as provisional operator to team RWBY." There was a set of clicks before any more words came out. "That is all, dismissed."

Silence pervaded the room as Wynne began making her way back to the seat. Ruby's eyes followed the girl along with her team's. She made her way back to the chair and, with a slight shake, settled into it with a long sigh. The girl next to her looked mildly amused as she scanned her face. Wynne looked back with striking eyes, but no words were exchanged between the two. An awkward moment passed before anyone decided to start moving, and it was the other girl who decided to get up with a sneer.

Watching her walk out of the room, Yang turned back to Wynne with a bright smile, the kind she used on new people. "So, you're going to be our operator. That's cool I guess, but I think I want to know something more." She leaned over the back of her seat. "You look familiar, you wouldn't happen-"

"No, I wouldn't." The response was short and sharp. "But I am looking forward to working with you. You've done well for yourself miss Xiao Long. Even though I am to stay with Ruby for the majority of the time."

"M-me?" Ruby stuttered, trying to figure out the girl's demeanor. She was cold, yet warm to them in her own way. Like someone with something they wanted to avoid, trying to be sweet for all the other things. "Why me though?"

"You're new, even Blake has more experience in... affairs than you. I'm supposed to be your guide when it comes to these things, as well as your operator."

"Hey! Then what are we going to be doing?" Yang spit out. She was half out of her seat before settling back down, reining in that temper that Ruby had watched grow for so long. "I know there's a shortage, but we're not going to be going out blind. Not if I have any say in it."

"That is what Kasumi is for." Wynne glanced over at the door as she spoke, a slight frown peaking out. "She'll handle any other missions that come up."

There was something not right about the way she was speaking, but Ruby couldn't place it. "Are they expecting any more missions than usual?" It was quiet lately, the mine being only the second time this month Ruby had left.

"No, at least, not that they've told me," Wynne shakily replied. It was jarring, the cool tone giving way for a moment. But before anyone could ask, that smooth exterior returned. "Well, we were given the day to ourselves. I'll see you later." With that she got up from her seat, taking a small bag with her, and left.

"Well that was odd," Blake said, looking around at the assembled women, "I thought you said we were going to have some kind of class?"

"Normally, we would," Weiss put in, bringing both Ruby and Yang's attention to her. "This is not at all the usual affair. We're normally bombarded by a deluge of inane words from either Oobleck or Port."

"Yeah, I'm actually thankful that this happened," Ruby chimed in, trying to keep Weiss talking. It was so rare to get a glimpse into who she was, why she was here.

Unfortunately, the heiress decided to quiet down once more as Yang shifted around to face Ruby. "Hey, since we're all free, why don't we-"

"No thanks, I'll be off taking care of some maintenance." With that, Weiss got up and left the room. Silence followed in her wake as the assembled women felt the cold in her manner. Ruby looked over to Blake, and oddly, the girl had a slight smile on her lips.

"Well, what about you Ruby? Or do you want to mess with stuff on your hunk of metal?" There was a slight pleading in her voice, something behind the request.

"Sure, and don't call my NEXT a hunk of metal. It has a name." Ruby glared at the cheeky smile she received from her sister. _Of course she knew that, she's always trying to bug me._

"Waning Petal, right?" Blake broke in, bringing the two girl's attention back to her. "It's nice, sad though."

"Yeah, it is. Hey! Blake, do you want to come with us?" Ruby heard a slight exhale from Yang, and she whipped around to glare at her. "She's more than welcome, right Yang? As part of our team?"

"Tch, fine. But I'm warning her. No funny business."

"Good," she declared, turning back to Blake, "so do you want to come with us? We know all the cool spots to hang out, and there's this nice noodle shop that made it up here."

"That sounds lovely. I haven't really had a chance to look around this place." She seemed to be thinking about something, but it was gone before Ruby could catch it. "But it's nice, all the stories they tell you on the surface, all the lies. I'm glad their wrong."

"Yay, well, let's go and... oh," Ruby broke off as she looked over at Wynne. The girl was smiling at them, a slight thing to match how frail she was. "Uh, would you like to join us as well? We'll take it slow and, if you want, we can-"

"I'm fine doing what ever you were going to do. Yes, I would love to join you, I need to find out more about my pilot." The girl got up, firmly grasping a bag that was resting on her desk. "Shall we go?"

Without waiting, Wynne left the room. Ruby found herself scrambling after her, trying not to get caught by her cloak as Yang and Blake calmly followed them out. _Sheesh, do they have to be so cool about everything they do?_ Even so, the two were clearly not looking at each other as they walked. Ruby ignored them and rushed to catch up with Wynne, preferring to find out more about this strange girl who had been thrust upon them. The day drew long for them, a meager peace in a world that was perpetually at war.

* * *

"Well, I can take three of em. And a side of wantons!" Ruby bit back, hovering over her bowl of noodles with a protective glare. "What do you say to that?"

"I say you're gonna have a stomach ache if you try and eat that much food," Yang muttered, unenthused at the situation she'd stuck herself in. _At least Ruby is having fun. And Blake's not that bad... for an ingrate that is._ "How about we call it a draw and just eat?"

"Sure... you don't go down that easily normally though. I sense an evil plot afoot."

She sighed, trying to hide some of her exhaustion. "No, I'm just hungry and ready to relax on a rare day off. You'll find out why soon enough."

"Well, if you think you can do it, I'm sure you'll find a way," Blake put in, slowly sipping at the noodles she'd ordered. _My treat, yeah, sure._ Her sister's idea, to be proper and polite to a new friend. "But I do agree with Yang, that's the most likely outcome."

 _Oh, someone here has a decent idea of their limits?_ That wasn't fair, she was just being antsy over the day. And the person to her far left, next to Ruby. That was the major source of Yang's irritable mood and snippy tongue. For years Nexus had operated by a set book, they worked with the ex-Huntsman to train up pilots for their new toys. It was routine to have a refresher class, to know where they stood and why they stood there. So to break that routine like this, to throw someone who looked like they'd seen three lifetimes already at them. It was bizarre, to say the least. And Wynne Fanchon was more than bizarre.

"Excuse me, but might I ask. Why do you think it's a good idea to gorge yourself before the day's over?" Wynne queried, slowly sipping at the bowl sitting before her. There was quite a bit left compared to the others.

"Oh, it's alright. I'll just have to run it off if something comes up," Ruby playfully answered, smiling broadly at Wynne. "Besides, what are the chances they finished on both Waning Petal and... whatever Blake called hers the other day?"

"Falling Twilight, and thanks for asking."

Her sister twitched at the words, turning back to smile apologetically at Blake. "Yeah, we beat them up pretty good yesterday... anyways, we're not ready to go out yet."

She was right, Yang caught a glimpse of the damage Ruby had taken. A large section of the torso needed repair, and the cockpit was almost breached. That was most of the reason she'd flown off the handle yesterday, seeing her sister that close to danger. And reason continued to calmly state that Ruby was old enough to make her own decisions, that she chose this life. Just like herself. _I chose to fight Grimm, and to protect a bunch of people who hate me. Not... that._ NEXTs were new, they were only barely tested, and this was the first time they'd ever fought one another.

And that was with only construction equipment. _If she had real weapons,_ Yang thought grimly, looking over at her smiling sister. "If something comes up, you'll be fine Rubes. I'll see if they can send me out as well."

"Aw, you do care," Ruby playfully chided, smiling broadly at her, "let's just keep relaxing right now, there's always tomorrow to worry about that stuff. Right?"

"We'll see what happens," Wynne answered, finishing up a large slurp of her noodles, "but for now, yes, relax. I would very much like to see you at your finest when next you set out."

There it was again, that cool tone that held a hint of something warmer beneath it. Like a thin layer of ice over still malleable ground back at Patch, it wasn't doing much to hide but it was there nonetheless. And the way she seemed so nonchalant about their work. _Almost like she's... but that's not right. Someone as frail as her would never make it through the first minute in an old Normal, let alone the Cores we had._ But Wynne seemed to be completely assured of herself with regards to the NEXTs, almost intimate in her opinions. It didn't make sense though, she shouldn't know even half of anything.

"Hey, Wynne, mind if I ask you something?" Yang ventured, trying to tread as delicately as she was able. The girl looked her way and nodded with a calm stare. "You seem to know a lot about our machines, but you don't seem to be the type of person to pilot Cores. So what gives?"

That facade remained in place, but there was a slight tremble. Almost a quiver. "I've, uh, been given a large amount of information regarding... um, your profiles said-"

"They don't say anything about what a NEXT can do. You've been making suggestions to Ruby now about specific things on hers, and I want to know how you think you know this stuff." Her fist rested on the table, the slim bracelets of Ember Celica digging slightly into her. _Dad said to keep tradition alive, and I will._

"That's, well, it's really... uh, it's not something-"

"Yang, I don't think she's hiding anything," Ruby tried to interject, shifting between the blond and her pale haired target. "She probably just had a-"

The near silent ringing and tiny vibrations silenced everyone as Yang felt her heart skip a beat. _No, not now._ She reached into her pocket, pulling out the small device that was vibrating in a simple pattern. Three long, one short. Grimm, and it was urgent. Looking upward, she saw Ruby holding hers as well, the smile gone from her face and a return of that grim exterior Yang hated so much. _Like mom had, when she was called away._ They shared a look, the shared conviction of their post. Getting up to leave, Wynne silently followed while a bewildered Blake kept up as best she could. _Another time._

* * *

One foot felt fine, but the other was still getting caught on something. It wouldn't do, a tight fit was key to maintaining control and a solid connection to the NEXT. _Don't panic, this is going to be easy. They said Yang could come with, and you know who your operator is. Piece of cake._ Still, Ruby could feel the toenail that was getting caught, continually irritating her already frazzled nerves. Waning Petal was patched as best they could, a plate welded onto the front to keep her safe. So why be nervous?

"Hey, Ruby, are you alright?" a soft voice asked from the other side of the door. Blake was waiting patiently for her. Waiting because Ruby didn't want to be alone with her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm just... oh for crying out loud! This thing is giving me issues, I'll be out in a moment." Cheery, for them, so they didn't pry too deeply. So Yang didn't ask her if she was sure about becoming a pilot for the hundredth time. "Blake, do you think this mission will be alright? I've never done one this close to night."

"I can't really say Ruby, the Grimm don't really come around where I've lived. I only saw a few at the mine, and they were at both day and night."

"Oh, alright," she murmured, finally slipping her foot into place. Sliding the suit upward, the material gripped and conformed to her. It wasn't too long ago that Ruby was embarrassed by the snug fit, she wasn't her sister after all. Pulling it up, she grasped the zipper and tightened the bottom before threading her arms through. _There, good enough._ Shifting a bit, she opened the door and stepped out to Blake's patient expression.

"Good to go?" the raven haired girl asked, pushing off the wall she was leaning on. Ruby nodded and began walking out of the locker room. Blake followed and they walked while she finished tightening up her suit. "So are you worried?"

"Yeah, it's not a usual thing for us to go out this close to nightfall," Ruby mused, checking her wrists and touching the collar for a good seal. "You probably don't know, but nobody's figured out a good way to see at night. The Vacuan field messes with the cameras, and it's not easy to poke your head out of a NEXT. So night time is officially off limits."

"Really? What about Faunus? We have good eyesight at night, why don't they go out?" They walked out into the corridor, past several people slowly making their way out for the day.

"They tried, Velvet went out a few weeks ago and tried anything to see outside. Nothing worked, and they said it wasn't worth the risk." They stepped out into the main hall, finding it quiet and open for a change. "Even though we have operators, it still doesn't help us on the ground."

"So what is it usually like? Fighting the Grimm that is." Footsteps echoed outward from the pair, a calming sound to Ruby for its inane existence. "I can't imagine what it must be like, seeing those monsters now and watching them tear down Cores like they do."

"It's not that bad, actually. The NEXT is so much better than a Normal, it's like we're cheating." She laughed a little as they passed into the plaza, finding a few strays in the waning hours of the day. Soon they too would be gone, and the world would be silent for a time. "It should be... easy, I hope."

Passing through the plaza, they started down the corridor toward her destination. _It's quiet enough now to hear the wind rushing by._ There was a peaceful bliss in finding that droning noise again, almost enough to make Ruby forget that Blake was with her. The hall changed, colored once more in administrative colors as she closed in on the docks. _Where is Yang? Shouldn't she be here by now?_ It was probably nothing, she'd taken a while getting changed. Yeah, no problems. Except for the nerves that hadn't quieted yet, or the thoughts of the past that always crept in.

"Alright, I guess this is it," Blake said as they came up to the walkway, peering out at the machines lined up before them. "Go ahead, I'll be here when you get back."

"Thanks, you take care too." Ruby gave her a big smile, trying to at least look the part of a pilot. _Even if I don't feel like one most of the time._

Glancing at the far bay, her heart sank as she saw what she feared Yang would do. The bay was empty, Skyward Blaze's usual vibrant yellow frame no longer illuminating the area. _No, no, Yang, why? What if they..._ Saying a hasty goodbye again, Ruby raced over to her own Core, slamming the panel to extend the gangway and impatiently sliding through the doorway. _What if you... and what if I can't be there?_ Fumbling with her panel, she finally got the cabin door open and slipped into the control harness.

"Alright Ruby, let's go over-"

"There isn't any time, I need to go now!" Ruby spat back, flying through the start up procedure. As soon as enough lights turned green she reached over and slammed the red button down, silencing her cockpit. Blue particles whisked in front of her view, slowly forming the field. "Open the bay, I'm ready to go."

To her surprise, the doors under her slid open after a moment, and she felt her stomach jump as she dropped out of the Cradle. "This... this isn't standard procedure. What's the matter? I-I could get in a lot of trouble for this!" It was Wynne, the lilt in her voice uneasy as she tried to figure out Ruby's panic. "I need... no, I just acted on instinct. I'm sorry, but she seemed really worried. Yes, it all went smoothly, no, she didn't contaminate anything."

 _She's talking to the people in the control room. Well, it sounds like I didn't screw up too badly._ "It's my fault, please don't get angry at her," Ruby said, trying to at least take some of the blame from the girl. She seemed nice enough, and it wasn't right to do that to her. But Ruby couldn't live with herself if something happened to Yang without her being there. Not like...

"Yes, yes we're still alright for the mission. Thank you. Alright... listen here, I don't want anymore-"

"Alright, no more trouble. I'll do everything by the book."

There was a moment of silence, then the speaker crackled on again. "Is everything alright then? You stormed out of here without even running the normal checks."

"It looks like everything is ok, ammo count is down since they haven't reloaded yet but..." she cut off as she noticed the problem. "Looks like I won't be able to take many hits, the plate they welded isn't letting the Vacuan field work properly. Guess we can't just jury rig these things."

"What do you mean," Wynne asked before pausing for a few moments, "oh, oh no. It's not stable at all, it's a miracle you're generating power at all." There was a snap of keys, and some muttering in the background. "You... you left because of your sister, right?"

"Yeah, I can't" Ruby paused, thinking out exactly what she wanted to say. _I don't want to say it._ "I don't want her to be alone, not when I can do something."

"Alright. Normally they'd tell you to come back, to forget about the mission. But I'm not going to tell them about this." Wynne sighed heavily, clearly trying to come to terms with what she was doing. "So come back safe, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Ruby watched as the clouds fell away. Watching the long descent was calming in a way, and she almost forgot about the silence for a while. The sun was hanging on the horizon, a burning orange ball spreading light out on in one last attempt before it was snuffed out. And the night claimed its domain. _Maybe an hour, two if we're lucky. Please, Yang, be alright._

* * *

 _This girl, why is she so impulsive, so reckless? Her sister is like that as well, but she has a cooler head about things. Maybe from a couple years as a pilot already?_ Wynne sat at her post, keeping her eyes peeled on a set of monitors, as well as a screen that gave a rough shot of the ground. There was a village in the shot, and several square miles of terrain. Several blips showed up from time to time, the approximate locations of Grimm and other moving objects. _Yang is still getting to position, Ruby still has some time._ Looking back at the monitor, she glanced over the status on Waning Petal.

"Wynne... is there something we can talk about?" Ruby asked over the speaker. They hadn't spoken for a few minutes, and Wynne was beginning to think she was a silent type. _Well, I was silent more often than not._

"Sure, although I don't have much to say." She waited for a moment, trying to conjure up something to chat about with her pilot.

"That's alright. Um... so, I am curious, why do you know so much about these things?"

That wasn't something she was expecting, Ruby had given her an excuse when they were at the noodle shop. "That's complicated," Wynne replied coolly, trying to quash the subject.

"Is it? You sound like a pilot so much, but you don't look like one. And then the-"

"I said it was complicated, and I'd rather not say anything at the moment." _That should be that, but I should be nice. She's young after all, and I'm being callous over this._ "I'm sorry, but it is quite personal," she offered with a slight lilt, "however, what about you? You're very young to be in this profession, most people aren't given a NEXT or even a high grade Normal at your age."

"It's... I can't really explain it, but it seems like I'm being pushed along, like someone is making sure I'm always at the front of the class. Or that I'm always noticed for advancement." Ruby chuckled a little, a mirthless laugh that seemed to say more than her words. "I guess you could say I'm just lucky to be here."

For all of her charm, there was a frankness to this girl that took Wynne by surprise. "That's... not right. But I guess you wouldn't be in that machine if you couldn't handle yourself. Alright, thank you." _Is she spoiled? No, that's not the word._ She let her thoughts trail off as more work presented itself, trying to push down her own jealousy. It wasn't easy, but years of discipline paid off in the end.

* * *

Calm silence continued to consume her, a gnawing pain that her operator only minorly alleviated. _She's not much of a talker. And I don't really know anything about her either to get her talking._ A conundrum, one that would make Ruby's skin crawl if it weren't for the worry she felt for Yang. Gazing out from her screen, the sun was drooping now, a constant threat of it falling out of the sky. By her guess there was about two hours of daylight left, and then she would have to leave. Or try fighting in the dark.

"Alright Ruby, you're in the area. I have Yang's position, she's a few minutes north of here and-" The speaker cut off abruptly, forcing Ruby back out of herself and into the NEXT she was piloting. Descending the last hundred meters, there was still no word from Wynne. Anxiety grew within her, but she decided to listen to the last bits of info she had and began trundling north.

 _Yang, please, please be alright._ Feeling the feedback from her legs, Waning Petal stepped assuredly across the field. Out in front of her lay a forest, one of the older ones that mankind had known. Grimm were always present, always just outside of sight and mind. And without notice they'd show up, destroy a fragile peace, and leave again without cause or motive. Now though, there was a way to hunt them, a way to keep the monsters at bay. Ruby wanted to be here and now, fighting for everyone. That was all she wanted.

"Can anyone hear me?" she called out, trying to get something from her speakers. As much as she wanted to rush in and find Yang, there was a method that should be followed. To keep her safe.

Crackles emanated from behind her, slowly forming into words. "Ruby? Ruby, it's Wynne. We had an outage, it's nothing to worry about. Have you found Yang yet? She should be to your east."

"Thanks, not yet." That's strange, there haven't been any outages the entire time Ruby had lived on the Cradles. Why now? "Is everything alright? Is... is Blake nearby?"

"It's fine, they said it was just a hiccup in the system. And Blake is standing outside the control room." The unspoken words stayed on the air a few moments longer. "Ruby, there's a handful of Grimm nearby as well."

Again the unspoken words stayed there, and Ruby flung herself into action. Feeling the force of boost rocketing her NEXT forward, she scanned the area, searching for anything that could point her to Yang. A fallen tree led to another, and she turned toward the direction they lay. Scars and divots, scorch marks and shell casings. Finally more static reached her, and Ruby looked out earnestly for the yellow god that held her sister. _God? It's just a machine._ Regardless, she carried on with her search, searching the darkening forest for any sign of her sister.

Dull thuds reached her first. Off to her right, the sound of cannon fire rang out into the evening air. "Careful, the Grimm are in this area," came the voice from above, a solemn guardian to her machinations.

"Yang? Answer me, please," she shouted into the void, hoping for any response.

"Ruby? What took so long, you're missing all the fun." Clicking sounds and shifting controls accompanied her words, followed by more dull thuds reaching into Ruby's cabin. "There've only been a few so far, I don't know why we were sent out at this rate."

"Yang, please, let's just link up and figure out where the rest ar-" The ground shook beneath her, rocking Ruby in her harness as she looked around. Off to the left a tree crashed to the ground, shrouded in a black fog. No, not a fog, the plates of white giving definition now to a the Grimm. _There it is, why we're here._ Standing even with her camera, it looked like an Ursa from the old days, only at its present size there was little resembling the bearlike Grimm. Massive arms shifted as it walked toward her, an easy gait of the alpha predator.

"There's a Grimm, here, Yang... I need," Ruby choked off as the beast sprang, moving with an unnatural speed that had caught so many unaware. Instinct flung her back, and machinery followed it with a blast of propellent to send her hurtling rearward. There wasn't time to consider everything around her, as Ruby raised her rifles to bear on the blackened abyss. It moved again, sliding towards her in a sickening and terrifying manner. She felt her hands tighten before shots reverberated and flashed before her eyes. They found their mark.

And the beast ignored them, carrying on without a sign of falter. Ruby took to the air, pushing downward in her harness to redirect thrust toward the ground. Rolling her thumb at the base, hidden tendrils felt the sniper cannon on her back shifting and extending into position over her shoulder. Her opponent had other ideas, slashing outward with monstrous claws and catching the legs of her machine with the tip. Blue flames shot up as they clipped the edge of metal, a reaction from the Vacuan field. Red shouted at Ruby on her screen, but she ignored it in favor of lining up a shot.

Watching the reticule slowly move into place was agonizing, the beast refusing to let her go as it jumped again and again at her floating frame. _Heat build up, I need to drop soon, or sink. What about that?_ The leg seemed sound enough, but she wanted to ease up on it. Green flashed, and Ruby saw that it had a clean enough shot. Letting off the boosters, Waning Petal sank in the air, and she flicked the thumb switch. The jolt was enough to retain a sense of floating a moment longer, and the shell flew true into the shoulder of her Grimm target.

It trembled as the massive shell entered its body, Ruby pressing home now with a burst of rifle fire to get the tremendous thing on its knees. "Ruby, good wo- hang on... two more, direct west!" Wynne's timing was sound, as Ruby felt the calming flow of battle force her body to move. Looking to her left, she spied two more massive Grimm lumbering towards her. They held a small swarm of lesser Grimm with them, the chaff that didn't make it long usually. Swinging her arms around, she let off another volley while drifting back tot he ground, watching as heat bled out.

"Ruby, there's still movement from that first one!" Wynne shouted, but there wasn't time. Fire engulfed her, blue and harmless. But the claws that latched on weren't, lights blinking on and shouting at Ruby to pay attention. Too late, she was pulled around by the limping Ursa looking Grimm, and it slowly made its way to her. There was little she could do, the monster was on top of her almost as she lay on her back. _I can't get away,_ Ruby thought as she stared at her blackened wall. It was big, almost bigger than the trees around here.

 _They adapted, for there were too few humans to cause natural death for them. At least, that's what we think. The Goliaths were first, growing ever larger until it was too hard for a single Core to take them down. Then too hard for two. More of these monsters appeared, and it seemed like mankind was once more at wits end._ Her lessons hadn't really helped with fighting, just the usual history. Well, Ruby was at wits end now, trying to think of something, anything to escape and fight back. _I can keep it back... but for how long?_ It was worth a shot, and she waited a moment longer, right until it was next to her.

Flinging backwards, fire and light played along the black hide, revealing scars and chitin from untold fighting. The Grimm recoiled, buying enough time for Ruby to lift herself upward and back away. Taking aim once more, she continued her retreat while letting loose with round after round into the wounded beast. Heaving, the first Grimm finally fell, and the other two stepped up and over the now limp form. Ruby spied over her screen, noting the amount of ammo she was using. _So low, but it should be enough._

"Ruby, there's-"

Claws wrapped around her, shrouding her vision as a wave nausea enveloped her. _I'm flying again,_ Ruby thought as the sky filled her screen before the cruel earth caught up with her. Sense returned a moment later, bringing her machine upright to stare at another Grimm. _How many are there? This isn't normal for this time of day, and there's only a village nearby._ The screen continued to scream, but there was a more pressing matter at hand. Strands of daylight were seeping through into the cabin. And heat was building up now.

"Yang, Wynne... somebody." Darkness drew closer to Ruby, hulking shapes casting shadows in the failing daylight. They crept closer, and the lights began flickering.

"That's enough!" Explosions rocked the ground nearby, tearing enormous chunks of earth free as the closest Grimm faltered. Screaming into view, the yellow blur slid to a stop in between Ruby and the monsters. Skyward Blaze stood like a monolith, a pair of missile pods hooked to the back of a Core bearing a pair of shotguns. Yang always did like to be up close and personal.

"Yang, don't, please," Ruby plead, trying to keep her sister from going into danger.

The crackle caught her ears, a smooth sound from the other NEXT. "Don't worry sis, this isn't going to take long." And she sprang, flying at the inky monsters with all the force of... well, Yang. It was beautiful to watch, even as a blue patch began taking up some of Ruby's camera. _It's the plate, that's where it's getting held up._ The yellow destroyer flew up into the air, weapons spitting fire in the dusk air and nimbly dodging far too fast claws. Unsettling speed was nothing new with these Grimm, but Ruby never liked to see it in any case.

As fast as the battle had started, it wound down as fast. Her sister made the machine dance, a blinding flame tearing across her vision. The closest Grimm fell, torn in half by brazen blasts up close. There was a crackle again, but the words didn't come out to Ruby. Even so, she managed to catch the flash of a weapon falling to the ground. In it's place, the shimmering blade of saber shot outward, slashing into the next Grimm with deadly precision. It too fell in a heap as Yang carved through black flesh. As fast as the battle had started, it ended.

Ruby saw her sister stand there, a silent guardian for her. _And I couldn't do anything, if she wasn't here I wouldn't be. And if... and what if,_ her thoughts trailed off again as the NEXT turned back towards her, slowly closing the distance. Fading light revealed the hint of scars, damage the looked bad enough to force them back. But she stood there unwavering, a guardian to her, a pillar against the overwhelming dark.

"Ruby, are you alright? Is that..." Yang paused, and the machine began to kneel, "what's with this glowing spot?"

"It's the plate, it got bent or something and now there's something wrong with it," Ruby confessed, trying not to let her voice waver. She knew what was going to come next.

"Wait, was this happening before you came down?"

"Yeah."

"Why! Why come down then, you knew something could go wrong?" Yang was trying, and failing, to not shout. "This isn't safe Ruby, and you need to be at your best. I don't... hang on, I need to-"

"I came because I didn't want you to get hurt." Ruby couldn't keep it back anymore, the fear, the pain from ten years ago. "I didn't want you to end up like mom!"

Silence hung in the air, a curtain that shrouded the two girls in reality's cruel grasp. Out in the middle of a forest, two giants stood motionless as the wind began howling. Finally Yang moved her machine closer, moving a fist toward the plate on Waning Petal. Lightly pressing, a feat beyond Ruby and reshaping the metal slightly, the blue spot faded and her heat began dropping. Standing back up, there was a sadness in the motionless NEXT.

"Yeah... I miss her too. It's been so long, but I guess I understand how you feel." The speaker crackled a little, but Yang continued. "We keep going out into danger regardless, and I wouldn't want to live any other way. All I can ask is that you stay safe for me."

Ruby felt the moisture on her face, a few stray tears as she moved slowly upright. "Yeah, I will. Will you promise me the same?"

"Yeah, I'll try." She turned away, slowly regaining the life that her machine had held. "Come on, we've got one more thing to do. The village needs to be checked out, and Wynne says there are a few more Grimm in the area." Slowly walking, the yellow tower of metal began to fade into the little light that remained. Ruby wiped at her tears, steeling herself for the last part of the day. _I couldn't do anything to keep her safe._


End file.
